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Mark Ripley tests the HIK Micro Alpex scope from Scott Country

Mark Ripley, or 260Rips on YouTube, is best known for shooting foxes at long range on the Sussex Downs. Today, though, he’s after rabbits, testing the HIK Micro Alpex day-night scope on an old CZ .22 rimfire.

The Alpex sits well on the rifle. It’s the same shape and size as a regular optical scope, and its 30mm tube is fitted to the scope rail with regular SportsMatch mounts.

Mark likes the position of the controls. There are three buttons at the rear: on-off, record, and a switch between day and night mode. The main menu functions are controlled via one of the turrets, while another houses a CR123 battery, as a back-up to the inbuilt rechargeable battery.

What really impresses Mark is the image quality. “It’s got a really good, sharp image, and you can still see the colours clearly even when it’s too dark to see with the naked eye,” he says.

“Then when it gets dark you can switch to night vision mode, and you get an excellent black-and-white night vision picture using the IR illuminator which clips on top.”

There are all the usual features and more, but Mark finds he makes good use of the recording function as well as the picture-in-picture mode, which gives a magnified image of the target and reticle for precise aiming.

He’s also impressed with the zoom function, which he says is nice and smooth, and retains good detail in the image even when it’s zoomed in.

The zoom is controlled by a large ring which makes up most of the object bell of the scope; Mark has added a lever from his fishing gear, which he says makes it easier to zoom in the dark without disturbing his shooting position.

“All in all the Alpex does everything you’d want from a day-night scope and more – and with a really good clear image too,” he says.

The HIK Micro Alpex A50T is priced at £799 from Scott Country.